Method for coupling an ordering system to a management system in a data center environment

ABSTRACT

A method including 1) generating an asset record in a management system database when an order for components of an asset corresponding to said asset record are ordered; and 2) tagging said asset when deployable with an asset identification (ID), said asset ID uniquely referring to said asset record.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to processes for ordering, installingand managing products in a data center environment.

BACKGROUND

Companies and other large entities increasingly rely on distributedcomputing where many user terminals connect to one or more servers thatare centrally located. These locations called “data centers” may befacilities owned by the company or may be supplied by a third-party.These data centers house not only computers, but may also havepersistent connections to the Internet and thus, conveniently housenetworking equipment such as switches and routers. Web servers and otherservers that need to be network accessible are often housed in datacenters. Where a third-party owns the data center, the entity inquestion rents a “cage” or enclosure that has racks upon which componentequipment, such as computers and routers, can be installed. It is alsopossible for the entity to simply lease the equipment from thethird-party owning the data center, or from another third-party whichhas leased space from the data center operator. In any case, the datacenter is usually divided into a number of predefined areas, including ashipping/docking area, assembly area, and area where enclosures andtheir constituent racks are kept.

Typically, the business process of installing and operating new computeror networking systems in the data center involves a series ofindependent stages. First, based on determined requirements, componentsof the systems are ordered through a vendor or supplier. Once thecomponents for these systems are received, they are entered intoinventory logs and “asset” tags which identify components for futurereconciliation/audits are created. While the order for the componentsthemselves may identify a number of attributes that each componentshould have (i.e. amount of memory, number of ports, model number etc.),the inventory systems often do not, and may only be concerned with thefact that the item was in fact received, and what the serial number orother distinguishing identifier is. Conventional asset IDs trackaccounting information such as depreciation, but not other attributeinformation.

Once a component or set of components is received it is ready to beinstalled in the data center. Installation is not typically performed bythose employed in the receiving/warehousing department or by those whotrack inventory. The current environment relies on highly skilledemployees for all aspects of component installation. Because suchskilled workers are in short supply, the installation of new componentsin a data center can take weeks. Further, such installation takes alonger time because the installer must first discover the configurationand other attributes of the components. Furthermore, the operation ofsuch components in the data center is controlled by management systems,which dictate what software is to be installed, how the components areto be connected etc. The management system is run by the administrativeor Information Technology (IT) departments within a large entity such asa corporation. The management system must in turn, identify, onceproducts are installed, what they consist of, and how to configure oroperate them. This information must be discovered by the managementsystem through agents that can communicate with the products, or enteredmanually into the management system by skilled operators who can inspectthe component or test it to find out its attributes and configurationbecause the original order data and the received physical componentcannot be easily correlated.

There is thus needed a more efficient operating procedure for themanagement system that requires less use of skilled workers anddecreases the deployment time of components in a data center.

SUMMARY

What is disclosed is a method including: 1) generating an asset recordcontaining configuration information about an asset in a managementsystem database when a purchase order for components of said assetcorresponding to said asset record is created; -2) tagging said assetwhen deployable with an asset identification (ID), said asset IDuniquely referring to said asset record; and 3) using said asset ID toallow a data center management system to retrieve the configurationinformation about said asset from said asset record during configurationand operation of said asset.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of the primary methodology in coupling an orderingsystem to a management system in a data center environment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a workflow for creating a newpurchase order for an asset.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process of deploying an asset inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates the layout of a data center deployed in accordancewith the invention.

FIG. 5 is a database schema for relating asset information according toone or more embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates the interaction among servers and a deployed node ina data center according to at least one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a computer implementation of one or moreembodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the figures, exemplary embodiments of the invention willnow be described. The exemplary embodiments are provided to illustrateaspects of the invention and should not be construed as limiting thescope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments are primarilydescribed with reference to block diagrams or flowcharts. As to theflowcharts, each block within the flowcharts represents both a methodstep and an apparatus element for performing the method step. Dependingupon the implementation, the corresponding apparatus element may beconfigured in hardware, software, firmware or combinations thereof.

The invention primarily consists of recording the configuration ofpurchased components automatically during the purchasing process to themanagement system so that the manual step of component discovery iseliminated. When an order for data center components (i.e. computers,routers, switches etc.) is received by the data center, the outside ofthe shipping boxes will have machine-readable stickers (e.g. barcodes)containing information for the component(s) inside. Thesemachine-readable stickers are scanned prior to unpacking. The scannedinformation is then sent to the order processing system and to the datacenter management system. The data center management system willcorrelate the received component with that ordered, and assign a uniqueasset number to the component. It will also create a machine-readablesticker with that asset number. This sticker is then affixed to the backof the component so that the management system can track it and obtainrelevant information regarding it at any time. By associating this assetID with all the attributes of the component, including plans for itsassembly and deployment, an accessible record is created which makes themanagement system operate with greater efficiency when interacting withthat component.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of the primary methodology in coupling an orderingsystem to a management system in a data center environment. Data centernodes (e.g. computers, switches) are seldom installed without addingadditional pieces (e.g. memory, Network Interface Cards (NICs), disks).Sometimes these pieces are installed at the factory before shipment. Atother times, these pieces are shipped in separate containers and areintegrated into the node during installation in the data center. “Assettemplates” will be used to create purchase orders for “assets” whichhave components for the desired configuration to be tracked. An “asset”,for purposes of this description, refers to either a rack, wherecomponents are to be installed or a node within a data center.Additional new data center components are often needed when deployingassets (nodes or racks) of a data center (block 110). Based on whatconfiguration is required, there is a check to see if an existing assettemplate can be used (block 120). An existing asset template will beavailable if an identically configured asset was ordered in the past.For instance, where a redundant backup system is to be deployed, theredundant backup system would have an identical configuration as thesystem it is backing up. In this case, the asset template could bereused to generate a new purchase order (PO) (block 130).

If an existing asset template cannot be used, then a new asset templatethat matches the desired configuration is created (block 125). In eithercase, the existing or new asset template is translated into a purchaseorder for the manufacturer, vendor or supplier (block 130). Stateinformation indicating “on order” will then be set & tracked for theassets that represent the order (not shown in FIG. 1). Once the purchaseorder is generated, it is transmitted to the appropriate supplier,vendor or buying agent. Information about the asset configuration fromthe asset template as well as purchase order information (e.g., POnumber) is recorded in the asset management database (block 135). Atthis point, the company must wait until the ordered equipment, in partor in whole, is received (block 140). When ordered equipment isreceived, asset information on the shipping crates is swiped by somereader such as an optical scanner (block 150). This information consistsof the purchase order number, the model/serial number of the component,and other vendor specific information describing the shippedconfiguration of the component. Using this information, the appropriateasset record is retrieved from the database and updated to reflect thereceipt of the component. This asset information is stored in a databaseafter being scanned/swiped (block 155). The database may be in a remotelocation such that the transfer of the bar code information is via somecommunications network. Based on a comparison of the bar-codedinformation to that stored when the purchase order and “plans” werecreated (see below), the process will next determine if all equipmentrequired for the assembly of assets is received (block 160). If all ofthe equipment for assembly of the complete asset is not received, thenthe partial order is put in a storage area (block 165). Depending onwhat is delivered, items received at this stage can continue through theassembly flow. In order to put an asset in inventory, the pieces neededto configure the asset required, must be available. Thus, after placinga partial received order in storage, the assembly flow must wait formore equipment to be received (block 140). If the wrong equipment isreceived, or is received with the incorrect configuration, appropriatetrouble tickets or return orders can be generated (not shown in figure).

If all of the equipment for assembly of the asset is received, then theasset is ready to be either assembled or asset-ID tagged. Thus, a checkis performed to see if assembly is required for the received equipment(block 175). If assembly is required, then the asset is assembled fromthe equipment received (block 175). In either case (assembly orno-assembly), when the asset is ready (i.e. complete) such that it isdeployable, an “asset ID” and an asset ID barcode sticker is generatedfor the asset (block 180). One property of the generated asset ID isthat it be a data center-unique identifier associated with an asset. Thesticker containing the asset ID is then affixed to the asset itself. Asmentioned earlier, the database of the management system maintains stateinformation regarding the asset. Since the asset is completed, its statein the asset (management system) database is updated to “deployable”(block 190). At this point, the plans for deploying the asset that werecreated before the equipment was ordered can be implemented since thespecifics of the asset (e.g. serial number, model number) are alreadyavailable to the deployer.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a workflow for creating a newpurchase order for an asset. The flowchart of FIG. 2 is one possibleimplementation of blocks 120–130 of FIG. 1. First, the need orrequirement for a new set of rackable assets or entire rack isdetermined or detected (block 210). Normally when new rackable assets(or entire racks) are needed in a data center, especially an Internetdata center, several of these assets will be ordered at once. Therefore,according to the invention, purchase order templates may be used tosimplify the process of creating purchase orders. Thus, first, it isdetermined if an existing asset template can be used for the type ofasset that is needed (block 220). If no existing template can be used,then a new template is created for the type of asset (block 230).

The base of the template is the rack-mountable asset (e.g. computer,switch) or a rack, which will eventually bear the asset ID bar code.Remaining parts of the template are those pieces that will be insertedinto the chassis of the base unit (e.g. RAM, NICs, Disk) before theasset is put into service (deployed). The template will include all ofthe static physical descriptors of the asset (e.g. weight, length,depth, height) as well as any static resources consumed by the asset(e.g. power requirements, temperature requirements). The last piece ofthe template represents the soft attributes of the asset as deployed(e.g. network addresses, software). The asset as deployed will bereferred to hereinafter as a “node,” designating that the asset has aphysical as well as topological location in relation to other deployedassets.

Using the newly created or existing asset template, an asset record andID in the data center management database is created for each base unitthat will be ordered (block 240). The asset record will include all ofthe static physical descriptors of the rack-mountable unit or of therack. The asset ID is a unique identifier (unique within the datacenter) which can be used to track the asset. Once an asset ID isassigned and the asset record created, then purchase orders for eachitem that needs to be purchased separately are created (block 250). Thecreated purchase orders will fulfill the template requirements. Inaccordance with he invention, the purchase orders, which ordinarily havepurchase order (PO) numbers to track them, are associated in themanagement database, with the corresponding asset ID. By doing thisprior to the items even being received, every part of the assembly anddeployment process can be efficiently and definitively tracked withgreatly reduced error.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process of deploying an asset inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. The PO numbersof the orders needed to build the required assets are associated in thedatabase with the asset records (block 310). This association will allowfor automatic notification of equipment arrival and allow for a changein asset state from ordered to assembly and so on. Associating the POnumbers with the asset records through the asset ID permits any part(equipment) of the asset to be linked together virtually. From the PO,the combination of the PO number and manufacturer model number will besufficient to tie back to the asset record.

As ordered items arrive at the data center or warehouse, the barcodes onthe boxes are swiped (read) (block 320). The received items areunpacked/uncrated in a special area, usually, such as the assembly area(see FIG. 4) (block 330). After an ordered item is received and itsbar-coded information swiped, a check is made to determine whether thebase asset can be assembled using some/all of the presently receiveditems together with the previously received items (block 340). If so,the asset is assembled (block 350). If not, as more orders arrive, theyare swiped and this continues until there are sufficiently enough itemsto assemble the base asset (return to block 320).

Once the base asset is assembled, a barcode sticker containing the assetID is generated(block 360). The barcode sticker is then affixed to theasset and the state of the asset in the database is changed to“deployable” meaning that the asset is ready to be placed in service(block 370).

FIG. 4 illustrates the layout of a data center deployed in accordancewith the invention. Data center 400 may be a data center incorporatingInternet web servers and other servers that are connected to theInternet or some private network. In addition, data center 400 may housenetwork connectivity equipment such as routers and switches. As such,data center 400 is equipped with a primary “backbone” connection 480 tothe Internet that has bandwidth capacity sufficient enough such that itcan be shared among the many nodes operating in the data center 400.Once ordered equipment is received, it is first stored in a receivingarea 430. Receiving area 430 also has a connection to the backboneconnection 480 through wireline or wireless means. The boxes and cratesin which the equipment is received ordinarily have bar codes that arescanned upon arrival. The list of received equipment is matched againstthe asset templates to decide if the received equipment can beassembled.

If the equipment can be assembled (or needs no assembly and can bedeployed), it is taken next to an assembly/repair area 410. Based on theplans stored in the database, a technician would assemble the equipmenttogether creating thereby the needed asset. The management databasewould then print out a barcode sticker with that asset ID. This stickerwould be affixed to the back of the assembled asset and taken thestaging area 420, where it awaits final deployment. After the physicalassembly, installation of the asset into a rack or other mechanism andinstallation of software and other configuration tasks would beperformed. For instance, in the case of a server, the server may haveidentify itself to the network, obtain an IP address, or have installedupon it operating system or server software. Such tasks can be performedin the staging area 420, but are also done on the floor of data center400 when the asset is rack-mounted (or the rack bolted down). When suchassets or group of assets are finally deployed and connected to thenetwork (e.g. through backbone connection 480), they may be referred toas nodes.

Data center 400 shows two such nodes, node 401 and node 411. Node 401has two assets deployed therein, asset 402 and asset 403, whereas node411 has only one asset 411. Asset 402 may be, for example, a web server,and asset may be, for example, a caching device. Each of the assets 401,402 and 411 will, according to the invention, have unique asset IDsassigned them, with these IDs affixed in some manner (such as on abarcode sticker). This is done as soon as the item is assembled. Allconfiguration information such as that indicating the network virtualaddresses and physical floor location of these assets, can be stored inthe database and associated with the asset ID so that they can betraced/tracked at any time. Since the asset ID is also associated withother configuration information and order information (such as the modelnumber, capacity, features, software installed etc.) of the asset,repair, upgrade, and modification of the assets are simplified in thatany party can gain access to the information when needed without havingto search and surmise.

FIG. 5 is a database schema for relating asset information according toone or more embodiments of the invention. A primary data structurecalled “asset-detail” 500 can be instantiated or initialized whencomponents of that asset are first ordered. The asset-detail 500 is justone example of properties attributable to assets such as computersystems that would be deployed in a typical data center. The propertiesand relationships described herein are merely exemplary and may bereadily modified to suit the needs of the managements system or types ofassets being deployed. Asset-detail 500 contains a number of properties,among the most critical of which are the asset-id. The asset-id is aunique identifier distinguishing one asset from any others that may beencountered in the data center. One means of guaranteeing its uniquenessis to in part utilize the purchase order (PO) number that originated theasset. When an asset is first requested via a PO or other similarmechanism, there is conventionally no information transmitted to amanagement system. In accordance with the invention, however, themanagement system database can create the asset-detail 500 and assignits various properties to values based on the PO when the PO is firstcreated.

The single asset-id, which is a “key” or unique indexing property ofasset-detail 500, can then be used to track the asset through the stagesof its receipt, assembly, deployment and service with respect to thedata center. The asset detail 500 is a data structure that has a numberof identifying properties, such as asset-id and “asset-name”. Anotheridentifying property called the “rack-id” is also a property belongingto asset-detail 500 and identifies which rack the completed asset isdeployed in. The asset-type associates the asset to details of itsphysical structure and configuration. A particular “asset-type” willshare some or all of the same “asset-detail” 540 (described below).

Other properties belonging to the asset-detail 500 include:serial-number, customer-name, customer-email, OS (Operating System),OS-version, BIOS-version (version of the Basic Input/Output System) andstatus. As described above, the status property holds the current stateof the asset, i.e. whether it is deployable, has been deployed intoservice, is being assembled, is on order, etc. and can be updated whenactions on an asset are taken.

Another property, identifying the asset-type, is a primary key propertyfor a data structure asset-type-detail 540. Asset-type detail 540contains capability and configuration information that is internal orintegral to the asset. Properties such as the model number,manufacturer, amount of memory, storage capacity, number, type and speedof processors, number and type of expansion slots, number and type ofports or interfaces, power consumption and so on, may all belong toasset-type-detail 540. These properties and others allow management tomore efficiently assemble, configure, update, service, deploy orotherwise administer the asset.

The asset-id is also a shared foreign key for a number of other datastructures holding additional information regarding a particular asset.The first of these additional data structures is a LAN-detail 530 thatis associated to the asset using the asset-id. LAN-detail 530 contains anumber of properties that describe how the asset is connected to theLocal Area Network (LAN) which services the data center. LAN-detail 530contains the foreign key asset-id, linking it thereby to the asset itmodifies. LAN-detail 530 also contains a VLAN-id, which identifies theasset to the virtual LAN that a data center is often a part of orsponsors, and a VLAN-name which identifies the name of the VLAN to whichthe asset is connected. LAN-detail 530 also contains an IP-addressproperty which sets forth the Internet Protocol (IP) address of theNetwork interfaces contained in the asset. Other properties required fornetworking such as the netmask, which identifies the logical network forthe IP address and hostname which describes the logical name used by theasset are also included in LAN-detail 530. A property called MAC,belonging to LAN-detail 530, links the LAN settings with the settingsfor the device (such as a network interface card) that implements thenetworking capability for the asset.

The MAC is a unique identifier given to every networkable device duringits manufacture. A single MAC address corresponds to one and only onedevice in existence anywhere, whether operational or not. Thus, it canbe considered a “physical” identifier of the network device. A datastructure called MAC-detail 510, which is indexed by the MAC address asa key field, also contains a number of other properties. MAC-detail 510contains two identifying properties mfg-id (identifying the manufacturerof the network device) and a foreign key of asset-id, associating thenetwork device to the asset to which it is attached. Another fieldcalled primary-MAC, which may be Boolean, indicates whether the givendevice is the primary MAC device of the asset or just a secondary orback-up device. The primary MAC device is often the one that isinitialized first when the asset is powered up and is often the oneresponsible for communicating with management systems to get dynamicconfiguration information such as IP addresses and boot image locationfor the asset. Other network properties belonging to MAC detail 510include an IP-address, netmask, switch-port-id (the physical switch portto which this interface is connected to in the data center), aconnect-to-MAC (the MAC address of the switch to which this asset isconnected to), and connect-to-asset-id (the asset ID of the connectedswitch).

MAC-detail 510 is associated to the asset through the asset-id, whileanother data structure rack-detail 520 is associated with its ownprimary key called rack-id. The rack-id is a foreign key of asset-detail500 and a primary key of rack-detail 520 indicating that while a rackmay have more than one asset, a given asset may belong to only one rack.Rack-detail 520 contains properties describing the various physical andconfiguration characteristics of a particular rack. For instance,rack-detail 520 may have properties such as weight, height, width,depth, capacity, and so on. Other data structures, such as those forapplication packages and other software to be installed to and/orconfigured on the asset have not been shown, but can be readilyascertained/designed by one of ordinary skill in the art.

The various data structures and relationships depicted in FIG. 5 areintended to illustrate one possible schema for maintaining and trackingan asset completely as it progresses from receipt at the data center tobeing placed in service. Many other combinations of data structures andrelationships may be set forth as necessary or desirable to themanagement system.

FIG. 6 illustrates the interaction among servers and a deployed node ina data center according to at least one embodiment of the invention.While the below description refers to individual servers performingvarious different functions, the same functions could all be implementedas services and interfaces of a single physical server or device. Whenthe need for an asset is determined it can first be ordered using anordering application server 630. Ordering application server 630 mayconsist of, for instance, an interface to a online ordering system of asupplier or manufacturer as well as an application that generatespurchase orders that can be printed and transmitted in other ways to avendor. The ordering application server 630 may have the necessary assettemplates that can be used to generate the purchase orders and may becapable of creating new templates if the need arises.

When the purchase order for an asset or assets is generated, theinformation from the appropriate template, which is designed in part tobe in accordance to the database schema of the asset database, it istransmitted to an inventory server 640. The inventory server 640 tracksthe asset in terms of its date of order, purchase price, date ofreceipt, depreciation, cost, and so on and does not really provide anyvaluable aide to the management information system or IT administratorswith respect to deploying or servicing the asset.

According to the invention, upon creation (or approval by managementetc.) of a purchase order by the ordering application server, orconcurrently thereto, for each asset ordered, an asset record isinstantiated in a management database server 610. Management databaseserver 610 stores and updates the asset record and maintains, updatesand stores all asset records for a data center. Management databaseserver 610 can implement a database schema such as that depicted in FIG.5 and serves as a central point of information access for assets in thedata center. When the asset or partial equipment to assemble an asset,are received, a scan at receiving 680 is performed. The scan atreceiving 680 is usually a swipe of the boxes or cartons or entry of thebill of lading/shipping invoice. The contents of scan 680 are sent tothe inventory server 640 so that it can track the receipt of the items,and add them to the physical inventory list. The scan 680 is alsoforwarded to the management database server 610 which can talk to theinventory server 640 to determine which asset the scan refers to.Alternatively, information from the purchase order that identify theasset with an asset record (such as the PO number) could have alreadybeen part of the asset record such that the management database server610 can recognize the asset to update the status of. The managementdatabase server 610 can determine by referring to theassembly/deployment details stored for the asset whether enoughequipment has been received in order for the asset to be assembled (ordeployed if not requiring assembly).

If so, the IT team or technicians can assemble the asset. At this point,the technicians assembling the asset can request that the managementdatabase server print a sticker with bar-coded asset-id information.This sticker is then affixed to the assembled asset. Another scan atassembly 690 can be undertaken to verify that the sticker has beenaffixed. The status of the asset, maintained on server 610 in its assetrecord, can be updated to deployable by the management database server610.

Once the asset is deployed as a network “node” 620, the additional assetinformation, such as network addresses, software configuration,operational status, etc. can be stored, updated and tracked by themanagement database server 610. By associating information such asinstalled application package details, the IT team could discover andmore efficiently service, update or configure the asset at the node 620.Since the node 620 is networked, it can contact or be contacted by themanagement database server 610 at any time. By associating details ofwhich rack the asset belongs to, its precise location would always beknown. This allows the deployed node 620 to be remotely configured,administered and diagnosed more effectively. The various informationassociated to the asset record (see FIG. 5, for instance) allowmanagement or IT teams to have complete information about a given assetwithout having to physically inspect it or trace it back from theordering process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a computer implementation of one or moreembodiments of the invention. Illustrated is a computer system 707,which may be any general or special purpose computing or data processingmachine such as a PC (personal computer), coupled to a network 700. Oneof ordinary skill in the art may program computer system 707 to act as amanagement database server that is capable of maintaining, updating andassociating asset records with other pertinent related information, oras an inventory server or ordering application server. According to oneor more embodiments of the invention, the system 707 or systems similarto it, would be programmed to perform the following functions:

Creating new template or utilizing existing assets templates forgenerating purchase orders;

Associating purchase orders to asset records;

Generating a data center unique asset-id;

Creating an asset record and corresponding related data structuresaccording to a predetermined schema;

Updating and accessing these asset records and related information whenneeded;

Determining if received equipment can be assembled or deployed as anasset; and

Communicating and maintaining contact with deployed nodes.

The system 707 has a processor 712 and a memory 711, such as RAM, whichis used to store/load instructions, addresses and result data asdesired. The implementation of the above functionality in software mayderive from an executable or set of executables compiled from sourcecode written in a language such as C++. The instructions of thoseexecutable(s), may be stored to a disk 718, such as a hard drive, ormemory 711. After accessing them from storage, the software executablesmay then be loaded into memory 711 and its instructions executed byprocessor 712. The result of such methods may include calls anddirectives in the case that the asset records (and related information)are stored on disk 718, or a simple transfer of native instructions tothe user database via network 700 if it is stored remotely. The assetrecords database may be stored on disk 718, as mentioned, or storedremotely and accessed over network 700 by system 707. The records mayalso be stored using any known database technologies.

Computer system 707 has a system bus 713 which facilitates informationtransfer to/from the processor 712 and memory 711 and a bridge 714 whichcouples to an I/O bus 715. I/O bus 715 connects various I/O devices suchas a network interface card (NIC) 716, disk 718 and to the system memory711 and processor 712. The NIC 716 allows software, such as managementdatabase server software, executing within computer system 707 totransact data, such as asset status and assigned asset-ids, to othernodes or servers connected to network 700. Network 700 is also connectedto the data center or passes through the data center, so that sectionsthereof, such as assembly, or receiving, can communicate with system707.

Similarly, the scanning at the receiving and assembly areas may utilizebar-code scanning, optical character recognition, or other technologies.Information may also be entered into the system by manual entry througha terminal and keyboard.

The exemplary embodiments described herein are provided merely toillustrate the principles of the invention and should not be construedas limiting the scope of the invention. Rather, the principles of theinvention may be applied to a wide range of systems to achieve theadvantages described herein and to achieve other advantages or tosatisfy other objectives as well.

1. A computer implemented method for ordering and tracking componentsrequired to assemble an asset for use in a particular data centercomprising a plurality of assets, the method comprising: creating anasset record for the asset designated for assembly, wherein the asset iscomprised of a plurality of components, wherein creating the assetrecord comprises generating an asset identifier for the asset that isunique within the data center and distinguishes the asset from theplurality of assets in the data center; creating a purchase order foreach of the plurality of components of the asset, the asset identifierfor the asset being generated based on the created purchase orders;storing the asset record and purchase order information in a managementdatabase, wherein the stored purchase order information is associatedwith the asset record in the management database; upon receiving theplurality of components along with information regarding the purchaseorders of the components, retrieving and updating the asset record inthe management database using the received purchase order information toreflect that the plurality of components have been received; anddetermining whether all components required for assembling the assethave been received, wherein each of the method steps are performedautomatically, without human intervention.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising: transmitting the purchase orders for the pluralityof components to a supplier, vendor or buying agent; and after thecreating an asset record step, receiving the plurality of componentsalong with information regarding the purchase orders of the components,wherein each of the method steps are performed by an entity thatpurchases the plurality of components.
 3. The method of claim 1 whereinan asset template is used to create the asset record and the purchaseorders.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the asset record containsinformation relating to the asset including physical descriptors of theasset, resources consumed by the asset, or soft attributes of the asset.5. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving a component comprises:receiving a container including the component, wherein amachine-readable code has been placed on the outside of the container;and scanning the machine-readable code, wherein the code containsinformation on the purchase order of the component.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the received purchase order informationcomprises a purchase order number, a model or serial number of acomponent, and information regarding the shipped configuration of acomponent.
 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: if itis determined that all the components required for assembling the assethave been received, assembling the asset using the plurality ofcomponents.
 8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:after assembling the asset, deploying the asset into the data center,the deployed asset being connected to a network, wherein the managementdatabase is also connected to the network.
 9. The method according toclaim 7, further comprising: after assembling the asset, generating theasset identifier in a printed form; and affixing the printed form to theassembled asset.
 10. The method according to claim 8, furthercomprising: updating the asset record in the management database toinclude a network address, Local Area Network detail, or a MAC addressfor the deployed asset.
 11. A computer readable medium that stores acomputer program for ordering and tracking components required toassemble an asset for use in a particular data center, the computerprogram comprising sets of instructions for: creating an asset recordfor the asset designated for assembly, wherein the asset is comprised ofa plurality of components, wherein the set of instructions for creatingthe asset record comprises a set of instructions for generating an assetidentifier for the asset that is unique within the data center anddistinguishes the asset from the plurality of assets in the data center;creating a purchase order for each of the plurality of components of theasset, the asset identifier for the asset being generated based on thecreated purchase orders; storing the asset record and purchase orderinformation in a management database, wherein the stored purchase orderinformation is associated with the asset record in the managementdatabase; upon receiving the plurality of components along withinformation regarding the purchase orders of the components, retrievingand updating the asset record in the management database using thereceived purchase order information to reflect that the plurality ofcomponents have been received; and determining whether all componentsrequired for assembling the asset have been received, wherein each setof instructions are configured to be executed automatically, withouthuman intervention.
 12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 furthercomprising sets of instructions for: transmitting the purchase ordersfor the plurality of components to a supplier, vendor or buying agent,wherein each set of instructions are caused to be executed by an entitythat purchases the plurality of components.
 13. The computer readablemedium of claim 11 wherein the asset record contains informationrelating to the asset including physical descriptors of the asset,resources consumed by the asset, or soft attributes of the asset. 14.The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the receivedpurchase order information comprises a purchase order number, a model orserial number of a component, and information regarding the shippedconfiguration of a component.
 15. The computer readable medium accordingto claim 11, wherein the asset is assembled and deployed into the datacenter, the deployed asset being connected to a network, wherein themanagement database is also connected to the network.
 16. The computerreadable medium according to claim 15 further comprising sets ofinstructions for: maintaining contact with the deployed asset throughthe management database and network to service, update, configure, ordiagnose the deployed asset.
 17. The method according to claim 8 whereinthe deployed asset comprises a computer, the method further comprising:updating the asset record in the management database to include softwareconfiguration information of the deployed asset.
 18. The methodaccording to claim 8, further comprising: maintaining contact with thedeployed asset through the management database and network.
 19. Themethod according to claim 8, further comprising: servicing, updating,configuring, or diagnosing the deployed asset through the managementdatabase and network.
 20. The method according to claim 19 wherein theservicing, updating, configuring, or diagnosing is performedautomatically, without human intervention.